Intimate Deception

By: Laura Landon

Narrated by: Sarah Coomes

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A Desperate Choice

Lady Grace Warren will do anything to protect her sisters, even betroth herself to a man so depraved that all of London fears him. Faced with a lifetime of misery, Grace has only one chance for escape: to relinquish her virtue before her wedding. Such abandon will destroy her reputation - and ensure her freedom. But when she disguises herself as courtesan to lure a handsome nobleman, she cannot anticipate the tender surprise destiny has in store….

A Twist of Fate

Vincent Germaine, Duke of Raeborn, has lost two wives in childbirth and still has no heir. Racked by guilt and grief, he seeks comfort in the arms of an enchanting stranger. But when he realizes their night of passion may have resulted in another dangerous pregnancy, he sets out to track down the innocent female - only to find his heart captured by a woman of incomparable courage and beauty.

©2012 Laura Landon (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

3.5 Stars Easy listen

The best selling romance novels will leave you warm and fuzzy. Take us into a world of love and passion, where the characters play out our dreams and fantasies for our delight and satisfaction, which in turn provides us with a longing for more. Intimate Deception had the right recipe for a successful novel, the heroine and hook the author defined was fresh and new. Where Laura Landon left me wanting was the lack of depths and or intimacy she could have brought to her characters. She did not evolve all the potential in Lady Grace and build on the sexual tension or romantic suspense that could have absolutely been there between Lady Grace and Vincent.

Will tortured hero finally find solace?

Intimate Deception is the first book in a duet by Laura Landon set during Victorian England where the hero is a tortured soul who's lost two wives while trying to give birth to his heirs. He's sworn off getting married again and visits a brothel once a week to escape getting another woman pregnant. Turns out one of the prostitutes he visits one night is a virgin who asked a friend to help her lose her virginity so she won't have to marry a deviant bible thumper. While it works out for the young lady, our hero won't let bygones be bygones and he goes searching for her to ensure he didn't get her pregnant. When they realize she did conceive, he marries her in haste and without affection to keep the child legitimate. The rest of the story is how he tries to resist his growing attraction and feelings for the lady, despite the fact that she deceived him initially. There is an additional mystery subplot where someone is trying to kill our hero and heroine -- and it's not who you assume it is! Simply put, if you like your historical romance packed with emotional punch, Intimate Deception does not disappoint!

Grace and the Duke are a big hit for me

I love this story. It is about a strong woman, Grace, who saves her six younger sisters from their father an an evil man who wants to marry one of them so that he can abuse her at will. Now Grace, who manages to help her sisters get away and make great marriages with good and rich men, must save herself. To do so she has to pull an intimate deception on a man and get him to take her virginity. This will, in the evil man's estimation will make her soiled and ineligible for marriage. It turns out that the deceived man is a Duke, who has lost two wives in childbirth and is now alone and without an heir. The Duke is afraid this unknown woman may be pregnant and tracks her down. He is surprised to find that she is the daughter of an Earle. If she is pregnant, he must marry her because he needs an heir. His current heir is his cousin, who is a degenerate spendthrift and gambler, will destroy the family fortune if he inherits all. He is furious that his cousin the Duke may be getting a new heir. The evil man that Grace and her sisters escape is out for revenge because he lost Grace as a potential wife.

Now someone is out to kill the Duke, and the pregnant Grace. The Duke, who at first wanted to ignore Grace, is now dedicated to keeping her alive. They have become very close and I became close to them. Really a good story with some very bad people and some wonderful people. Grace's sisters and their husbands are likable and fun characters.

Sweet Poignant Love Story

Would you consider the audio edition of Intimate Deception to be better than the print version?

No

What did you like best about this story?

The love between Grace and Vincent

Which character – as performed by Sarah Coomes – was your favorite?

Grace

Any additional comments?

29-year old Lady Grace Warren finally fulfilled the promise she made to her mother on her deathbed. She vowed to care for her 6 younger sisters and see them safely married. Ann, the last one to marry, has just wed at the beginning of the story. Grace's father, a greedy, selfish, uncaring man had sold each of his daughters rather than providing a dowry. Making smart deals on behalf of each sister, every one of them were happily married and loved by their husbands. Unfortunately, Ann had been chosen to wed Lord Fentington, and notoriously cruel and abusive man who drove his former wives to their deaths. Grace was able to persuade him that she would marry him instead if he would release Ann from the obligation. Grace, however, had no intention of fulfilling that promise. The Lord demanded one thing in writing before he would give her father the large sum of money he was paying to wed Grace: a sworn statement of her virginity.
Grace found herself with no other option than to barter with the only thing she had of value: her virtue. Calling on her childhood friend, Hannah, who was now one of the most elegant and successful madam's in London, Grace persuades her to allow her to "work" for her for one night. Knowing she would live out her life as a spinster was not only a small price to pay for her sisters' happiness, but also infinitely preferable to spending even 5 minutes in the company of the monster. Her plan appeared to have worked, despite her father's demand that she tell the Lord that she had lied and was indeed a virgin. When she refused, her enraged father, not receiving the money he expected, banished her from his home. Grace went to London to live with her sister, Caroline, until such time as she could determine what to do with her future.
The night at the brothel had been magical, and Grace captured the passions of her customer, the Duke of Raynor. He had lost 2 wives and their babes in childbirth, and had sworn he would never marry or love again. For the past 5 years he had visited the brothel every Thursday evening to satisfy his needs in the arms of a woman without any demands on his emotions. He took every precaution to make certain there was never a chance of pregnancy.
This is a poignant, sweet love story. Grace is full of guilt and regret and Vincent is brimming with almost paralyzing fear. How they overcome their challenges and face their perils is the story of this book. It's not a heavy, deep read, but nonetheless an enjoyable one.

An Easy Listen

This was my first Laura Landon book. I enjoyed the story thoroughly though there were parts that were a bit tedious, repeating the characters' insecurities. But overall, it was an enjoyable book for an easy listen. The narrator did not have many different voices, but I thought she did a fine job. Her accent and tone were soothing, especially with the heroine's character. I appreciated the book not being all about the sex but dealt with developing the relationship. I would listen to her again as well as read another Landon book.

nicely enjoyable!

What did you love best about Intimate Deception?

The depth of desperation and the struggle to get out of it became a addiction, a way to lose sleep and irritate the people around you when you can't turn it off. ...

What other book might you compare Intimate Deception to and why?

Ug, my least favorite question! Every book should be a entity of its own! But if I had to compare I would say another Laura Landon... I love it when the man in the story has to play second to the heroin yet be such a strong part of the tale. Once more proving the point that this story is unique too.

Have you listened to any of Sarah Coomes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I really like her narratives! I would say if I HAD to find fault it would be that I usually hear a single female voice that sounds distinctly male. And I don't know why. .. I know that she doesn't need to. .. it's a quirk perhaps. ...

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I'm sorry I won't offer up a spoiler. .. I would have to say it is a musical moment....

Any additional comments?

I encourage you to buy it... but save your credits... it's not worth it when you can buy it so inexpensively. ...

A bit predictable

What did you love best about Intimate Deception?

the narration was not bad

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

the least interesting the "high class" Brothel.

Have you listened to any of Sarah Coomes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes I have listened to Sarah Coomes in the past Highland Surrender I prefer Highland Surrender.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Can you find love anywhere?

Any additional comments?

Story was a bit predictable

a different twist to a normal historical romance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it was enjoyable. I loved a strong herione who does what she needs to. It was lite on the sex scenes which was ok with me!

What did you like best about this story?

The fact that a lady -virgin- would pose as a prostitute is outrageous! ok so the fact that she even KNEW a whore ...

What does Sarah Coomes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She did a fine job!

Sweet story, excellent narration

This is one of my favorite narrators. The book was enjoyable. It was a bit cheesy at time, but overall a good listen.

Liked the book, loved the narration..

What really did it for my in this book was the narration. Ms. Sarah Coomes made me feel the story. I felt Grace's (our heroine) desperation and her griping fears. I felt the deep connection between Vincent and Grace and fell in love with them. This was a great example of how a narration makes a good book come alive and makes you a part of the story. I was very surprised by the twists and turns towards the end of the story. Very unexpected! All in all I highly recommend this book to all historical romance junkies like me :)